PiStorm3D delivers big Quake and MiniGL performance gains

PiStorm3D is starting to look much more serious. The project, which adds 3D acceleration to PiStorm-equipped Amiga systems, has now reached the point where demanding MiniGL software can run at speeds that make the results worth watching. Quake is one of the clearest examples. Recent optimisation work has pushed the game past 50 frames per second at 640 × 480 in 32-bit colour, while 1024 × 768 still manages more than 40 FPS. Those numbers don’t mean the work is finished. Far from it. But PiStorm3D has clearly moved beyond simple technical demos and into territory where actual games can show what the system can do.

Quake reaches 53 FPS

Quake currently provides one of the best snapshots of PiStorm3D performance. At 640 × 480 in 32-bit colour, the game reaches 53 FPS. Raise the resolution to 1024 × 768 and performance drops to 44 FPS. That’s still a strong result, especially considering that PiStorm3D remains under active development. The interesting part isn’t just the headline frame rate.

Quake keeps the 3D system busy throughout gameplay. It uses the graphics API constantly, which makes it a much more useful test than a simple rotating-object demo. If something is slow, broken or badly implemented, a game like Quake tends to expose it fairly quickly.

So far, the results suggest that PiStorm3D can already deal with heavier MiniGL workloads without falling apart. There’s still plenty to test, though.

Gears hits between 120 and 150 FPS

The familiar Gears demo is even faster. Running on an Amiga fitted with PiStorm32 and a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, the test reaches roughly 120 to 150 FPS. That puts the setup in the same general performance area as a PowerPC G3 800 MHz machine equipped with a Voodoo 3 graphics card. For another point of comparison, a CyberStormPPC system with CyberVision hardware produces around 20 to 30 FPS in the same test.

That doesn’t mean every game will suddenly run five times faster. Benchmarks rarely work that neatly. Different programs stress different parts of the graphics system, and a fast result in one demo doesn’t guarantee the same improvement everywhere else. Still, the numbers give us a useful idea of where PiStorm3D currently stands. The project isn’t simply getting 3D graphics onto the screen anymore. It’s getting them there quickly.

MiniGL compatibility is the next big test

Raw speed is only half the story. PiStorm3D is now described as close to feature-complete for its current goals, but that doesn’t mean every MiniGL application works correctly. Bugs remain, and some 3D functions haven’t yet seen enough real-world testing. That’s where the development effort is shifting.

More MiniGL software needs to run through the driver so problems can be found and fixed. One game might depend heavily on a feature another barely uses. A demo can run perfectly while a full game reveals rendering glitches, missing functions or stability problems within minutes.

Quake II and Heretic II are among the titles planned for testing. Those should be useful targets. They’re more complex than simple benchmark programs and can exercise different parts of the MiniGL implementation over longer sessions. If PiStorm3D handles them well, we’ll have a much clearer idea of how broad its compatibility really is.

PiStorm3D is getting close to beta

The project is now approaching beta status. Most of the planned functionality is already there, but development isn’t finished and there’s no public release build yet. Testing, bug fixing and compatibility work are still very much part of the process. That’s probably the most useful way to look at PiStorm3D right now.

It’s no longer just a question of whether PiStorm hardware can accelerate Amiga 3D graphics. The current results show that it can. The bigger questions now are how many MiniGL games will work, how stable they will be and whether performance stays consistent across a wider range of software. Quake at 53 FPS is a strong start. So is Gears at up to 150 FPS. But the next batch of game tests will tell us much more than another benchmark number ever could.

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Quake reaches 53 FPS

Gears hits between 120 and 150 FPS

MiniGL compatibility is the next big test

PiStorm3D is getting close to beta

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